Cassia (Cinnamomum cassia)

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Cassia is the dried inner bark of Cinnamomum cassia (syn. C. aromaticum), a tropical evergreen tree native to southern China, Burma, and Vietnam; it is the most widely sold form of 'cinnamon' in global markets and is used as a spice and flavouring in foods and beverages for its warm, pungent taste. Unlike Ceylon ('true') cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), cassia contains significantly elevated levels of naturally occurring coumarin.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Cassia is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) at normal culinary amounts; however, it contains high concentrations of coumarin (mean ~3,856 mg/kg in retail samples, ranging up to ~9,000 mg/kg), a compound with documented hepatotoxic potential. EFSA established a Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) of 0.1 mg/kg body weight per day for coumarin; children and heavy cassia consumers can readily exceed this threshold, as just 3–4 cinnamon star cookies of typical weight (5 g each) may push a child to the tolerable daily limit. Individuals with CYP2A6 genetic polymorphisms (more prevalent in Asian populations) are at elevated risk of hepatotoxicity due to impaired coumarin metabolism.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Restricted	Cassia is permitted as a spice/flavouring ingredient; however, coumarin naturally present in cassia is subject to maximum residue limits in finished food products under EU Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 on flavourings (effective January 2011): 50 mg/kg in traditional/seasonal bakery ware with reference to cinnamon, 10 mg/kg in breakfast cereals (including muesli), 5 mg/kg in fine bakery wares, and 2 mg/kg in other foods/beverages. EFSA TDI for coumarin: 0.1 mg/kg bw/day. No numeric limit is set on cassia spice itself.source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) / Food Standards Scotland (FSS) (United Kingdom)	Restricted	Cassia is permitted as a spice/flavouring; coumarin limits in finished food products are retained from EU Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 post-Brexit. UK FSA survey found average dietary coumarin exposure in all UK population groups was below the EFSA TDI of 0.1 mg/kg bw/day, though the South Asian population sub-group showed higher exposure due to greater cinnamon/cassia consumption.source
Health Canada (Canada)	Approved	Cassia permitted as a natural spice/flavouring. Deliberate addition of isolated coumarin to foods is not permitted. CFIA surveys (2014–2016) determined that coumarin levels in commercially available cinnamon-containing foods were generally not expected to pose a health concern to the general population.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Children — Children consuming cassia-containing baked goods, cereals, or teas regularly can readily exceed the EFSA coumarin TDI of 0.1 mg/kg bw/day due to their lower body weight; studies show just 3–4 cinnamon star cookies (~5 g each) may push a child to the tolerable daily limit.

Liver Disease — Coumarin in cassia is hepatotoxic; individuals with pre-existing liver disease or CYP2A6 genetic polymorphisms (more prevalent in Asian populations) face significantly elevated risk of liver enzyme elevation and overt hepatotoxicity even at moderate cassia intakes.

Infants — Infants have immature hepatic metabolism and very low body weight, making them disproportionately vulnerable to coumarin hepatotoxicity; cassia-containing foods or supplements should not be given to infants.

Pregnancy — While trace culinary amounts of cassia are generally tolerated, supplement-level or high dietary doses elevate coumarin exposure with no established safe intake in pregnancy; caution is warranted given the hepatotoxic potential of coumarin and lack of specific gestational safety data.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1PubMed. Safety of Cinnamon: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses and Systematic Reviews of Randomized Clinical Trials, 2022. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
2PubMed. Coumarins in Food and Methods of Their Determination, 2020. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3PubMed. The Relation between Hepatotoxicity and the Total Coumarin Intake from Traditional Japanese Medicines Containing Cinnamon Bark, 2016. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4other. Coumarin in Cinnamon, Cinnamon-Containing Foods and Licorice Flavoured Foods – CFIA Survey Report (April 2015 – March 2016), 2015. inspection.canada.ca
5PubMed. Assessment of Coumarin Levels in Ground Cinnamon Available in the Czech Retail Market, 2012. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
6EFSA. Coumarin in flavourings and other food ingredients with flavouring properties – Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food (AFC), 2008.

Independently researched6 citations